Memories of 2011: The Realities of an Ordinary Pancake

Well, a new year is upon us, and with that everyone is either crowding into the gym or waxing nostalgic about the past year. 2011 for me was a good year with lots of obvious exciting things going on. Of the whole year I only really have one major regret; I didn't blog enough.

As I've thought of all the wonderful memories and moments of 2011, the thought kept popping into my head "why didn't I blog about that? I wanted to tell that story." So I've decided better late than never. Over the next couple posts I'm doing another mini series: the moments of last year that need to be remembered and shared, but have yet to make it onto the blogosphere.

Let's begin with the wafels.

Last May, the females of my family all fulfilled a pipe dream and took a mother-daughter trip to New York City. We all had an amazing time, seeing the sights together, and not together. You see, the thing about going on holiday with your four older sisters and mother is each of us is very different, and had different ideas of what a good time in New York entailed. To prove my point, here is my to do list:

-go to Frick (yes, that is the real name of an art museum);

-go to the Met;

-go to the Guggenheim;

-go back to the Met;

-marvel at a few of my favourite skyscrapers;

-eat whatever yummy looking food places I happen to stumble upon;

-take one last tour through the Met and find solace in my favourite gallery (hey, it's pay what you will).

And here is the itinerary I've made up for my sister Emily based on what she planned for the trip:

-go on the Liberty Island tour;

-go to the thrift stores in Manhattan I looked up while planning this trip;

-eat at the restaurants I looked up while planning this trip;

-go to the fabric district I looked up while planning this trip and find stuff for future sewing projects;

-have a look at the Empire States building;

-spend a morning in the Met, then go thrifting.

I love all my sisters, but if we had tried to correlate all our sightseeing schedules, we would have spent more time arguing than was really necessary, so it was agreed early on that we would divide up for certain excursions and meet for dinners, if nothing else.

Our first day, I was in Central Park with Mom, Katey, and baby Liam. Kate had wanted to check out the Swedish Marionette Theatre, and after being entertained by what people can do with puppets on strings and babies trying to grab them, we decided to grab lunch off one of the many food carts in the park and enjoy a picnic out in the sunshine before I went to meet Jaima at the Cooper Hewitt. After a little perusal, we chose a place called Wafels & Dinges. Regrettably, we did not take a picture of the stall, but the container below is from there:

It says:

Studies have shown* that altruisitic attitudes might shift dramatically while wafeling. Check your wafel-o-meter prior to sharing to avoid serious side effects.

*study conducted by Belgian Ministry of Culinary Affairs, Department of Wafels.

Another section of fine print read:

The wafels are intended for the human enjoyment only and may not reflect the realities of an ordinary pancake. The intent of the wafels is to assist the individual in the creating of the happily-ever-after experience while eating the many dinges on top of the wafels.

I would have loved these is only for their witty lines, but these wafels completely lived up to their container. Best wafel I have ever eaten (sorry Jason), and there was no way I was sharing a single bite. I almost went back for seconds.

In case you are wondering what dinges are, they are the toppings for your deliciously sweet wafel. Many Belgian specialties, as well as the typical ice cream, strawberries, etc. Was it ridiculously decadent? Yes. Totally worth the calories? Over and over again.

My absolute favourite dinge was speculoos spread. It tastes like carmelly peanut butter. I need to find it and buy a jar. Amazing stuff.

So when you're in New York, forget the hot dogs and bagels. Go for the wafel cart. I even found them online. Look them up next time you're in the Big Apple.